LOS ANGELES – USC never expects any favors from its Bay Area rivals but the Trojans get a small present from California today at the Coliseum.

The Golden Bears are ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, which makes them a rare ranked opponent on the Trojans’ schedule. Actually, they could be the last ranked opponents on the schedule.

And that makes a difference as USC fights for relevancy in the BCS title race. The No.7 Trojans (7-1, 5-1) are currently hurt by their weak schedule and a victory over the Bears would provide an assist in the human and computer rankings.

“That’s why I can’t give it any concern because I don’t know how it works. I don’t know how the computer thing works. I don’t get that part of it. I don’t know how the computer knows how good another team is. I don’t understand that. I don’t know how they can evaluate whom you’re playing and stuff and all that. That’s why I’m coaching football.”

But Carroll does know he needs to beat Cal (6-2, 4-1), a team that traditionally plays the Trojans close before succumbing. USC might be the only team garnering national respect from the Pacific-10 Conference but Oregon State and California actually control their own destiny in the Rose Bowl race.

“We know we’ve got a lot at stake right now,” quarterback Mark Sanchez said. “We’ve also got the tradition of Coach Carroll never losing a game in November.”

Carroll’s 24-0 in November since he arrived in 2001 and he only needs to beat Cal, Stanford and Notre Dame for another perfect month. Two years ago, the Trojans were in a similar position and defeated a 17th-ranked Cal team 23-9 at the Coliseum en route to a perfect November (a season-ending loss to UCLA occurred in December).

But these Bears arrive without the same respect.

“We have been up and down,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. “I don’t think we have put a complete game together yet. It would be nice to put a full game together but we are young in some areas.”

There is some potential for today’s game being closer to the nail-biter against Arizona than the blowouts over the Washington schools. USC recruited Cal tailbacks Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen (Valencia High School). And Carroll’s always been leering of Tedford’s success running the ball.

“Our defense has done everything it’s supposed to do but their running game is explosive,” Carroll said. “(Best) is a great player. He can do anything that you want. He can score from anywhere on the field. Shane Vereen is really good too. A 1-2 punch that’s really fast.”

But history suggests the Bears might need to play a perfect game to defeat the Trojans. For all of USC’s inconsistency in some games (Oregon State, Arizona), the Coliseum is different story. The Trojans are 42-1 since a 2001 loss to Stanford, so it is safe to say form will prevail again today.

If there is a wild-card factor, it’s Cal’s new defense. The Bears switched to a 3-4 formation this season to take advantage of their talented linebackers and sometimes drop eight players into pass coverage.

That sounds like something Sanchez would love to see considering he dissected Virginia’s 3-4 defense but the Bears are expected to run it with much more precision.

“They’ve gotten a big rush out of just three guys and they don’t always drop eight guys back, so it’s not easy to deal with,” offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said.

Tedford said the defense makes the Bears quicker, something the Trojans appreciate with converted linebacker Clay Matthews rushing the quarterback from the defensive end spot.

“Guys are a little more athletic dropping into areas with zone pressures and it makes us more versatile,” Tedford said.

An upset today would probably allow Tedford to pick his next destination if he grows tired of Cal. Carroll recommended him for jobs with the Chicago Bears and Nebraska in past years because of his respect for Tedford. And it just happened to mean he would eliminate one of the top coaches within the conference.

But Tedford balked at both occasions.

“He’s a great offensive mind,” Carroll said. “Way back when he was getting things going at Fresno (State), he’s always been a highlighted coach in terms of putting up great numbers and stats and high-profile players and all that.

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